Semiserious Chefs

The plantain. Beloved by so many countries! And not the least of these, Puerto Rico. Mofongo (pronounce moe-phone-go) refers to a garlicy mashed plantain ball containing chicharrones, or fried pork rinds. (Bacon is an acceptable substitute.) What you choose to do with it after that offers creativity. Most often it is served with a sauce […]

Have you ever tried your hand at making hash browns from scratch, but found the results to be less than ideal? Perhaps the outside of the hash browns look okay, but on the inside it’s nothing but a starchy undercooked mess. I’ve seen this more than I’d like to admit. Fortunately, there are steps you […]

This mashed green plantain breakfast (or lunch, or dinner) goes by the unique name of Mangú. One story goes that a visiting American Marine once tried the dish and announced, “Man! Good!” leading to it to forever be called such with a local accent. Another, perhaps more likely theory, states that the original name might […]

I say, “A plantain a day, keeps the Cartel at bay.” …assuming The Little Guy is getting fair trade. Colombians have had a love hate relationship with bananas. They love to eat them and have a huge sense of national pride over dishes such as Cayeye, but there has also been trouble, involving the banana, […]

This recipe partly came about because I like breakfast food and I like cooking breakfast food – especially for dinner. We even have a special name for it around here. We call it BBFD or “big breakfast for dinner”. What’s funny however, is that I rarely if ever actually eat pancakes. I might take a […]

Taken from the Arabic for an onomatopoeia-like word sounding meaning ‘all mixed up,’ this North African dish is beloved both by Muslims and Jews, as their cultures have been intermingled again and again throughout history. Often eaten at breakfast, shakshouka is also not uncommon to have for dinner. The ingredients are simple, and it only […]

This idea was brought to my attention by my Brother-in-Law, who had heard Alton Brown bragging about it on a pod cast. Incredibly easy to make, cured egg yolks can be very useful for a large number of cuisines and dishes. All the rage right now, they are a great way to bring some sophistication […]

What can I say about these famous French pancakes? Well it turns out, probably a lot. My interest in the French culture and culinary arts has grown considerably over the last couple years, so why not spend some time discussing these delicious breakfast treats with everyone else?

Anyone who has spend much time in ‘Tolkien-Land’ will most likely think of Gimli when asked about a dwarf. “Gimli, son of Gloin,” he can always be quoted. I always think of the 13 member dwarf company in the original book, “The Hobbit,” with all their clever, rhyme-y names: Dwalin, Balin, Kili, Fili, Dori, Nori, […]

Bilbo. There is a possibility that you don’t know that name, but if you live in the US it’s quite unlikely. Either way, he was a most beloved hero in JR Tolkien’s book “The Hobbit.” He was the precursing character to Frodo in the “Lord of The Rings” trilogy. He was brave out of necessity, […]